Pete Sessions: “I thank so much the distinguished chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He has been a consistent defender of an…”

“I thank so much the distinguished chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He has been a consistent defender of an independent judiciary. He takes those issues exceedingly seriously. He has defended them when there was a Democratic President and he was Chairman of the majority-Republican Judiciary Committee. He defended the President's legitimate prerogatives in nominations. He has been consistent on that and everybody knows it. There is no basis to criticize him. Bill Pryor is a friend of mine. He is one of the finest, most decent people I have ever known. There is not a Member of this body or a member of any of these outside groups that has any more integrity, any more decency, any more character than Bill Pryor. He is a sterling individual, an honest man. He tells the truth. When asked, ``if you disagree with a law or a court opinion that goes against your values, will you enforce it?'', he said: ``Senator, you can take it to the bank.'' Not only did he say that, as so many of our nominees have and as we have accepted, he has demonstrated it time and time again as Attorney General of Alabama. It is really extraordinary to me. I don't think there is a politician in America who has so consistently taken very difficult positions in a political environment--positions most people would say a politician was crazy to take--than Bill Pryor. He did it, and there is only one principle guiding him. What is that principle? It was required by the law.…”